Category: tennis

It started with Monica Seles. The female player who hit the ball hard and fast. I didn’t watch tennis during the Seles years. I knew of her but back in those days tennis was not shown in Jamaica in the way it is now. The only time we ever saw tennis on tv in Jamaica was during the Navratilova/McEnroe years.

My first introduction to the big hitters started with the Williams Sisters and it has continued until now. I know folks will cite players like Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati and many others, but the real big hitters in my view started with Venus and Serena Williams.

Over the past few days I am seeing a resurgence of the big hitters of tennis. Venus Williams has faced 2 of them so far in Viktoria Kuzmova of the Slovak Republic and Oceane Dodin of France. While both women may have lost their matches, they are showing, at least in my opinion a return to the time when WTA players had huge serves and hit deep and hard groundstrokes.

While Karolina Pliskova has a huge serve and hits big off the ground, for some unknown reason I can’t quite put her into that category. Maybe it as a result of her penchant to slice her forehand or maybe it is because she does not move very well. Dodin, not a very good mover herself, showed a marked improvement over the player that I saw struggling in matches a few years ago. One can only hope that she keeps on improving as I absolutely love her game and her on court demeanour is a far cry from the usual helplessness that sometimes permeates the Tour.

Caroline Wozniacki in what I suspected would be a tough match had words about the court scheduling. I agree with her. Wozniacki has fought her way back from the depths of irrelevance. She has done all the hard work. She is a former No. 1 and yet she had to wait all day before playing her second round match, whilst a player who is returning from a doping suspension gets another Centre Court assignment. It stinks to high heaven.

I know that there are tennis fans out there who are championing the money aspect of this but at some point in time we need to look at the optics of this whole situation. Are we that willing to make money to the detriment of our sport? The French Open and Wimbledon did not lack star power (even with the absence of Serena Williams from both events) on the women’s side. The story lines during those tournaments was amazing and especially at the French Open, the crowd size to watch Ostapenko’s matches was something to behold.

Sharapova has been out of action for 15 months. During that time, fans of the women’s game never even had the opportunity at times to watch regular Tour events. While the Tour may have suffered somewhat, people still found a way to tune in. They hunted streams and we even got a fan setting up a brilliant tennis site (Tennis Watchers) so that fans could determine where to watch women’s tennis. Clearly, tennis fans not only have very short memories, but they also lack some amount of credibility when it comes to taking a stand. I would compare them to Trump voters, but that would be mean.

Day 3 Review and Recap

Sloane Stephens in what I suspected would be a tough match overcame Dominika Cibulkova in 3 thrilling sets of tennis. One of the biggest upsets of the day was Bellis going down to Hibino. Bellis had been playing exceptionally well in the summer tune ups and this loss will be a disappointment to her and her team, especially after she had the opportunity to serve for the match at 5-4 in the third. Taylor Townsend ran out of gas against Ana Bogdan. I would say more but I am really trying hard here to be nice to Taylor.

Sabine Lisicki got her clock cleaned by Zhang 6-0 in the third. I did not watch that match but no doubt I will need to see the third set to find out what the hell happened.

Day 4 Preview

Day 4 sees the top half of the women’s draw play their second round matches, with some of the women having to play back to back days. Spin’s Picks are as usual in bold

Agnieska Radwanska (10) vs Yulia Putintseva
Ons Jabeur vs Coco Vandeweghe (20)Lucie Safarova vs Nao Hibino
Kurumi Nara vs Svetlana Kuznetsova (8) (Sveta was very lucky to come out of her previous match. Nara can be a tough opponent and she hasn’t had consistent back to back wins in quite some time. Interesting to see how this one turns out.

Jelena Ostapenko (12) vs Sorana Cirstea (battle of the young big hitters. In a tale of 2 players who can be inconsistent, I will take the player who is less inconsistent)
Daria Kasatkina vs Christina McHale (this one is a tough one to call. McHale did well to take out Pavs, but Kasatkina is consistency herself. US fans if they are on the ground will help in this one)Yanina Wickmayer vs Kaia Kanepi (It is good to see Kanepi back in a tennis draw. She struggled in her match against Schiavone but hopefully she can find something left in the tank after that marathon battle)
Denisa Allertova vs Naomi Osaka (all well and good to pull the upset. Let us see if young Naomi can back it up)

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I have had a bet365 account for going on 10 years. I don’t gamble but I find it to be one of the best ways to watch tennis, especially tennis that is not streamed in the US. It is a very safe site. I was referred to it a few years ago by one of my tennis buddies that I met on the old Tennis World chat room (thanks Cracked Gem).

When I first got this account, I deposited my US$10.00 and it stayed there for months at a time with no problem. Then they started to take administrative fees if they perceive that there is no activity on the account. As you can see, activity has to include betting or topping up your account. I will be topping up my account before the expiration of the 28 days and unfortunately, it seems as if I will have to continue topping up my account every 28 days in order not to lose the benefit of the live streaming on this site.

Why am I writing about this?

We are entering the time of the year when the Tour moves from Europe and settles in North America. There are a great many big tournaments coming up, and while the men’s Tour will have the benefit of TennisTV, the WTA Tour will be languishing in now you see me, now you don’t hell. Fans of the WTA will have to either follow the hot shots from the WTA Twitter handle or log on to illegal streams (if they even exist any more) to try and see the women over the course of this summer.

Unless I missed it, I have not seen any statements issued by the WTA and its missing CEO since he came out defending Sharapova for not getting a WC into the French Open. At some point in time, either Mr. Simon needs to let us know where streaming rights for the sport has reached, or he needs to relinquish what is no doubt a high paying job with lots of benefits. The consumers, i.e. the fans, have become disgruntled and it is affecting how fans see the women’s game. If this were any other industry, surely Mr. Simon would now be out of a job. Surely, someone, somewhere would be held accountable for what can only be described as a debacle in relation to the disappearance of the WTA product from the airwaves.

The USO Series will be starting soon. The tournaments are currently advertising the big names who will be competing in the various tournaments. It makes no sense that they are doing this, when fans far and wide, who absolutely adore the women’s game, are left wondering well how do I get to see so and so play if I can’t pull up a stream. Surely the WTA owes its millions of fans an explanation. Surely the journalists who cover this sport must force Mr. Simon to come to the table and tell the fans the truth about the lack of visibility of the WTA. Surely someone somewhere cares about tennis fans.

I did a recent survey amongst tennis fans and one of the biggest concerns that arose from that survey is the fact that people want to see more tennis on tv. What was even more surprising about that survey is the fact that most people preferred the women’s game over the men and thought the women’s game had better storylines than the men, despite most fans not being able to tell what is the WTA’s current marketing campaign (for what its worth, I have checked the WTA’s website, but I can’t find any evidence of their current marketing campaign).

Women’s tennis is a literal gold mine. It hurts to see people who have been put in power over a product that sells itself, do so much harm to the product. I know that folks like David Kane and Courtney Nguyen have done yeoman’s service to get women’s tennis to the forefront of people’s minds. The WTA has won the social media war as both persons are engaging and have used Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to promote the women’s game. The women themselves have also embraced social media and have added their names to issues that affect women, most especially, Madison Keys’ effort against online bullying.

With all the women doing their best to ensure that the Tour is relevant, and popular, it is even more disheartening when you can’t get to see them at all.

Tennis loves its narratives. It also loves storylines. There are the tried and true versions. Comeback from illness, injury, race to be No.1., race to win a Grand Slam for the first time. Youngest/oldest to ever do something extraordinary since aeons before we had television. It is how sport sells itself and it is how tennis in particular sells its product.

This year, on the WTA side the storyline has been the Race to No.1. Since the start of the clay season with Serena announcing her pregnancy, the story has been about the No. 1 ranking. I think tennis needs to start talking about players coming back when all is done and dusted.

I know most people will say well what about Kvitova? Well what about Kvitova? She suffered a terrible injury and the narrative about her return has been about her overcoming the attack to return to tennis. A very good storyline, in and of itself, but let us talk about some players that most folks have never heard of and who have had some horrific injuries in the past.

One of these is Petra Martic, a favourite of mine in years gone by. Martic suffered back injury after back injury. Today, for the first time in a long while, Martic made her way to the third round of Wimbledon with a straight set victory over Denisa Allertova. It was a very good win against a very good player with lots of upward momentum. I for one am glad to see Petra doing so well.

On the flip side, most folks will be talking about Magdalina Rybarikova, the Slovak who today on Centre Court played truly exceptional tennis to take out the No. 3 seed and firm favourite to not only win the title but also to ascend to the WTA Penthouse, Karolina Pliskova. Rybarikova showed us why she was considered one of the Slovak Republic’s best chances to win big titles a long time ago. Her game filled with slices, and big hitting had Pliskova flustered. Her net game, which has always been an untouchable part of her game was on show today for the Centre Court crowd. There were points that had the fans in the stands oohing and aahing in amazement as she pulled off tough volleys against an opponent who first came to the attention of tennis fans via her doubles play with her twin sister.

Another player who I have always loved watch play and who has suffered from injuries is Zarina Diyas. Today she struggled in her match but in the end came out on top against a very game Arina Rodionova.

There is also Lesia Tsurenko. I don’t think I have ever seen Tsurenko and some part of her body is not wearing tape. It is as if she is patched up together by her team prior to taking the court. A hard worker Tsurenko is also beset by injuries. Shoulder, back, legs, thighs, stomach. Frankly every part of her body has worn tape at some point or another. Today she struggled in the heat but came out the winner. Finally, and not to be outdone there is Sorana Cirstea. Mostly known as Ana Ivanovic’s best friend, Cirstea was the Romanian who many thought would either be a Slam champion or be ranked in the top 10. Unfortunately for her injuries and a lack of mental belief got in the way. In addition, an experiment with muscles torpedoed her career, but it is great to see her back and playing tennis again. Sorana you have been missed.

From the women above Rybarikova, Tsurenko, Martic and Diyas will be a quarterfinalist at this year’s Wimbledon tournament. This is one of the reasons why I absolutely love this sport. It takes a certain amount of belief in an athlete to believe that they can return to active competition after suffering in some cases career ending injuries.

I write this in the hope that folks out there who read this blog and who are fans of women’s tennis will take heart in Bethanie Mattek-Sands’ horrific knee injury today during her match against Romania’s Sorana Cirstea. It would seem as if Ms. Mattek-Sands’ knee has been displaced. If that is the case, then there is no doubt that she is going to require extensive surgery and rehab in order to return to playing tennis. I pray that she will indeed recover and return to the sport that she loves and which loves her.

I have found that doing recaps during Wimbledon is a complete non-starter especially on the women’s side. The matches are flying so fast and furious and there have been so many wonderful outcomes that it is hard to catch one’s breath let alone write about matches. Suffice it to say that today, Magdalena Rybarikova took to Centre Court and played one of the most beautiful matches I have ever witnessed against the No. 3 seed Karolina Pliskova. It was throwback grass court tennis, mixed with a lot of power and flair. Both women had the Centre Court crowd on its feet during numerous points and the standing ovation after the match said it all.

All of this outpouring brings me to a very sore topic. The lack of WTA TV during Tour events. The women have been doing their part in generating maximum interest in their sport. At the Majors we have had storyline after storyline that has piqued the interests of fans who only tune in during the Majors. If fans and drive bys are inspired by someone like Jelena Ostapenko winning the French Open hitting winner after winner or perhaps seeing someone new (at least new to them) like Rybarikova playing such amazing tennis, surely these folks will want to see these players again and again. The WTA really needs to sort itself out. If not, Steve Simon will have to go.

What an absolutely wonderful event you staged at Roland Garros over the past two weeks. You ladies kept me glued to my computer screen and you actually made me late for work a few mornings. On many occassions while I was at work, I was unable to watch matches, and so, for the first time in a long while, I actually had to go home and watch matches that had already been concluded during the course of the day’s event.

Your tournament was so good that I actually had to subscribe to additional channels because I just did not want to miss one ball during this 2 week event. And I don’t even like clay season all that much.

However, and this where I am a little bit annoyed at you ladies. I know your champion is an outlier. I know that she is not very popular amongst her peers (hello, Judy Murray cheered on Naomi Broady when she went after her). I know she has a temper, but come on, did no one watch the final? Did none of you get up out of your beds, no matter where you were in the world, and watch the match? OK, so maybe it isn’t about Ostapenko. Maybe it is about Halep, her opponent? Maybe you were disgusted at Halep’s comments about equal pay? If so, I can understand. There were 2 of your colleagues playing that you don’t really like and so, you never even bothered to tune in … but … and here is where there is a big but … you ladies don’t even seem to do the same thing for Serena Williams either.

What is about the WTA athletes where congratulating an athlete on an accomplishment seems to go against some competitiveness etc. I know you ladies congratulate people and I know you ladies watch tennis matches. The proof was the next day when you were all out in your numbers congratulating Rafael Nadal on winning 10 Roland Garros titles. See, this is where I sometimes don’t get the thought process behind who you ladies choose to watch and for whom you choose to show your support.

I have read interviews where some of you say that you don’t watch women’s tennis. Where you say that you can’t think of having a female coach. Where you think having a coach coming down court side to provide guidance is a good thing. I get the mind set, but again, how does that benefit your sport? There are men on the ATP who don’t agree that women should get paid the same as the men. I can’t imagine why you would care to support someone whose thought processes are still stuck in the dark ages. I don’t get it. Help me out here.

Anyway, your Roland Garros champion is a joy. She is young, athletic, disarming and very engaging. Hopefully, you ladies can see fit to show her some love via social media (even if she isn’t on Twitter).

Thoughts

how great was it to see Jelena Ostapenko introduce herself to the tennis world. 54 winners, most of them from that huge forehand (and don’t forget her backhand) in the final and 289 winners overall. She showed more than anything what belief really is. Congratulations Jelena.

Simona Halep needs to rethink her life and her life choices. Get rid of Darren Cahill. He is a terrible coach. There is nothing wrong with you getting emotional. If it helps you in your every day life, I say go for it. If smashing a racquet and cursing in Romanian get you through a match, then do it. You are not a child and your coach is not your parent.

Caroline Wozniacki, please take a leaf out of Ostapenko’s book and ditch your dad as a coach. You are back in the top 10 but you have done so by playing careful tennis. If you want to win that Major, you are going to have to change your mind set when it comes to your game and just go for it. You did it earlier in the year but you have regressed. Sort it out.

Angelique Kerber (no words)

Elina Svitolina – not my pick to win but you don’t have match points, lose a tight tiebreak and then disappear in the third set. Not for a place in the French Open. You don’t do that.

I am sure that many have already put forward their thoughts on Ostapenko being coached by a woman. What I loved about this is the story behind it. Ostapenko is/was coached by her mother, also named Jelena. The team decided that it might be a good thing to get another voice to work with the younger Jelena during the clay season. The older Jelena took a backseat and allowed the coach that had been employed to work her magic. The fact that the coach in question, Anabel Medina had no prior coaching history (at least none of which I am aware), and was only available because she has been sidelined with a shoulder injury, is a testament to both Jelenas having the wisdom to actually know their limitations and putting a plan in place to ensure that they brought in someone wiser and smarter than they were (Wozniacki, please take note of this).

All in all I enjoyed this year’s French Open. My faves never got near the title but I am quite ecstatic at this new generation. They are hitting fearlessly and cleanly and I for one am loving it.

It has been sometime since I wrote about tennis. I have tried writing a few times but there seems to be a bit of a writer’s block that is happening to me. I think this has to do with the fact that I am disgusted by the sport and the efforts that seem to be at play in making women’s tennis seem like a second class citizen to the men’s game.

The Australian Open women’s final gained its highest viewership in quite some time with the final featuring Venus and Serena Williams. While I was giddy at Venus making the final, I did become a bit disappointed that she was not able to cross the finish line ahead of her sister, but as some of my tennis buddies have said, a Williams won, so that is all that matters.

The WTA should have been riding that euphoric high all throughout the season, but then we recalled the news that the online streaming platform TennisTV would no longer be broadcasting women’s tennis. There began a fight amongst tennis watchers to figure out how to watch the women’s game. Some of us have figured it out but it has been like seeking for gold in them there mountains.

As I am writing this we are in the midst of the BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells) and while I have barely watched any of the women’s matches, from my social media timeline I can see that folks both in the US and outside the US are experiencing problems in watching the women’s portion of this event. I live outside the US and I have ESPN Play. While that platform does have Indian Wells on, there are no women’s matches being shown. As part of my Dish Network package, I do have Tennis Channel, but as the only women’s matches they are showing are American women, I have decided to not tune in (except for Venus from time to time).

When someone is unable to view your sport, it decreases interest. I was out of the office on Monday and Tuesday of this week and rather than sit at a computer screen watching tennis, I chose to sit in front of my 55” Samsung Smart TV and binge watch Bones on Netflix. I am a diehard supporter of the women’s game, if I prefer to watch Netflix rather than find a livestream which may be dodgy at best to watch women’s tennis, then I can’t imagine how those fans who only have a passing interest in the women’s game are faring. Why are we still struggling to watch the women’s game in 2017?

The other issue that has left me repeatedly angry and depressed is the return of Maria Sharapova to professional tennis. For those who have been living under a rock, Ms. Sharapova will be coming off a 15 month ban for a doping offence. As a result of this doping ban she will not have a ranking when she returns next month. The issue that has stirred up quite a bit of controversy is Stuttgart granting Sharapova a wild card while she is banned for a doping offence. In order to facilitate the wildcard, the event has scheduled her first match at the tournament a day after her doping ban ends. As we say in the legal field, the Stuttgart organisers have endured the letter of the law, if not the spirit.

Angelique Kerber, the current No. 1 has taken the view that awarding Sharapova a wild card has taken away the opportunity from a German who could perhaps use that wild card to advance her career. I agree. Following Stuttgart’s lead, both Madrid and Rome announced that they have awarded Ms. Sharapova a wild card into their events. In addition, the French Tennis Federation has announced that Ms. Sharapova has reached out to them and has met with that organisation to secure a wildcard into the French Open this year. Both the FFT and the AELTC have adopted a wait and see approach regarding requests for a wild card from the Sharapova camp.

Many may have forgotten that at the ITF hearing, Ms. Sharapova’s team stated that:

“It is argued that any period of ineligibility would disproportionately affect Ms Sharapova in causing her a very substantial loss of earnings and sponsorships, exclusion from the 2016 Olympics, and irreparable damage to her reputation. There is nothing unfair in the rules being fairly and equitably applied to this player as to any other athlete subject to the WADA Code, whether professional or amateur. The rules are clear in stating: “ … the fact that a Player would lose the opportunity to earn large sums of money during a period of Ineligibility, or the fact that the Player only has a short time left in his or her career, or the timing of the sporting calendar, would not be relevant factors to be considered in reducing the period of Ineligibility under Article 10.5.1 or 10.5.2.” The rules cannot be circumvented by invoking the principle of proportionality. It would be contrary to the principles underlying the code, in particular respect for the rules which must apply equally to all, to allow an unprincipled exception to or waiver from the rules on the grounds of proportionality of sanction as it affects the particular circumstances of this player.”

I know that many people have taken exception to the ITF’s ruling and it would seem as if Ms. Sharapova and her team are more determined to pick up where they left off in terms of the money that can be made by Ms. Sharapova.

For years we have heard about Ms. Sharapova’s fighting spirit. We have heard about her capacity for hard work and her mental toughness. We have also heard about her ability to come back from adversity and how important it is for her to play tennis. I therefore have a few thoughts on a comeback that would be so much better for her image (which seems to be everything) and would be a guaranteed path to Hall of Fame glory.

· Play the ITF Challenger/Futures circuit – how fitting would it be for an icon of the sport to highlight the plight of players who play the Challenger/Futures circuit? I recall watching Challenger tennis when Nicole Vaidisova was staging her comeback to tennis.

· Play qualifying events. It would show Ms. Sharapova’s capacity for hard work. If she fails to make it through qualifying, try and go in as a lucky loser. With her skill set she would be able to vanquish her opponents. Recall 2007 when Serena Williams who was ranked 81 when won the Australian Open

· Recently, Francesca Schiavone, a decorated athlete who has made her mark on the sport in more ways than one played qualifying at the Australian Open. Schiavone has represented herself and her country and has been at the forefront of one of the most dynamic Fed Cup teams in history. She will probably need a wild card to play in her home tournament in Rome later this year. Why not take a page from that book?

I, like many tennis fans, love to hear and see a comeback story. One of the reasons why most people hate on court coaching is that it seems to give an unfair advantage to the player who calls their coach down mid match. This is how I and I know many others view this wild card situation with Ms. Sharapova. We view it as her being given an unfair advantage, in much the same way that her use of meldonium gave her an unfair advantage.

It is a smack in the face of other players who have played fairly for all their careers, to now be tasked with competing against a player who is being given a leg up because of who she is or who she used to be. How Sharapova returns to the sport she claims to love can either elevate or damage its reputation. It would do the tennis a world of good if they helped Sharapova do the former rather than the latter. However, I suspect that like Sharapova, they will let money rather than integrity guide their decisions.

Just how great is Serena Williams these days? She won her 17th Grand Slam title from 53 appearances. To show just how good she has been and still is, Martina Navratilova played 67 Grand Slam singles events and Chris Evert played 56. They both have 18 singles titles. Serena is one win away from tying them. Most people think that it will happen at any of the 4 Grand Slams next year.

For the second year in a row, Victoria Azarenka has shown that she is worthy to be called a rival of Serena Williams. I am not minded to call her that having regard to their head to head, but Azarenka makes a very good case as to why she should be called a rival to the woman who now occupies the WTA Penthouse. She has shown that she has the game and the mentality to stay with Serena come what may.

Here are Spin’s and Ace’s Parting Shots. As with most of the Majors, the Spin will focus on the women and in no particular order of their importance.

How great is the WTA product looking these days? With so many young women coming up from the juniors and so many of them making their names in the Majors this year, I think the WTA is putting itself in a position where it could very well be that they will again draw even bigger ratings than the men.

Caroline Wozniacki. It was just a few short years ago that she ruled the WTA. I have no idea what has happened but it is remarkably frustrating to see her not even make the second week of a Major. Believe this was her last chance to make a Slam semifinal as she was given a kind draw.

Welcome to prime time Camila Giorgi.

What has happened to Julia Georges?

Sabine Lisicki is becoming the next Tsevtana Pironkova and that is not a title that a player with the game of Lisicki should ever aspire to become.

The non-retirement of Marion Bartoli. Why not just take a break and savour the moment of fulfilling your life’s work?

I don’t know if I missed it but it was great to listen to the commentary on a women’s match and not ever hearing anything about the shrieks, grunts, howls etc. The commentary was about the 2 women on the court giving their hearts and soul in order to capture a Major title. I am happy.

Venus Williams is a Legend. She may not have the career of her little sister, but what she brings to women’s tennis cannot be measured in terms of titles or monetary value. When you become a role model and mentor to young women without having to try very hard, then you know that you have come a long way baby.

Victoria Duval is an amazing young woman, poised, articulate and so focused. Lots of work needed on her game but taking out the 2011 USO champion, no matter how poorly Samantha Stosur played, says a lot about her mentality. The fact that she aspires to become something other than a tennis player is remarkable as well.

Sloane Stephens. She played the first 4 games of her match against Serena like the Sloane that we all know can become the next big thing in tennis. She says that her aim is to finish the year in the top 10. It seems that Sloane is more about rankings watch than she is about standing on the podium receiving the top prizes. Baby steps are required, but I would have preferred if she spoke about results, rather than the ranking. If the results are there the ranking will come.

Flavia Pennetta is not my favourite player but how awesome was it to see her playing again and doing so well. Losing in the semifinals to the second best hard court player this year is nothing to sniff at.

Simona Halep. I think she was very disappointed with her results at the USO. Perhaps no New Haven and she could make a run for it next year.

Petra Kvitova 😦

Andrea Hlavackova – She won the doubles title with her partner and fellow Fed Cup Czech mate Lucie Hradecka defeating Serena and Venus along the way. Also, she won the mixed doubles with Max Mirnyi, who won his first two with Serena and Vika. First player to win both in a Slam since Cara Black in 2008 (doubles with Liezel Huber)

Daniela Hantuchova – She made the quarter-finals which is a good accomplishment after losing in the first round for five straight Slams even though her draw was not difficult.

Victoria Azarenka – Despite losing again in the final to Serena, she did well by making the final despite not playing her best tennis.

Alison Riske – She received a wild card and made the organizers proud by making the fourth round defeating Petra Kvitova in the process.

Until the final, the match of the tournament was between Carla Suarez Navarro and Angelique Kerber where a third set tiebreaker determined the winner and the raw emotion of Suarez Navarro after winning.

The WTA Tour now moves to Asia and already we have seen some surprising results. Spin had a chance to watch a few matches from Korea as well as China. I watched the semifinal match between Zhang and Meusberger. It was my first time watching Zhang, a WC recipient play and I was very impressed. I am thinking from the little that I have seen, plus the fact that her opponent, Vania King, a qualifier had to go 3 sets to take out Jheng Jie in her semifinal, will have Zhang winning her first WTA title from as many starts.

Ace’s preview of the Japan Open is below

Since the United States Open has concluded, the tour has moved on to the continent of Asia. This week the tour lands in Tokyo, which is hosting a Premier 5 event for the last time as it will move to Wuhan in 2014. Serena Williams was scheduled to play but withdrew due to fatigue. Also, Maria Sharapova, Sabine Lisicki, Nadia Petrova, 2012 champion, and Maria Kirilenko has withdrawn due to injury. Top seed is the reigning two-time Australian Open champion, Victoria Azarenka, who has defeated S Williams twice on hard courts in Doha and Cincinnati. Azarenka will be the favourite to win.

First quarter – Azarenka leads this quarter but her first opponent could be Venus Williams. Sloane Stephens will be trying to improve her record in WTA tour events in a push to finish 2013 in the Top 10 while Jelena Jankovic will be continuing her good play.

First round matchups to watch: Eugenie Bouchard vs Monica Puig

Second quarter – Sara Errani leads this quarter but admitted that the pressure of being a top seed got to her during the US Open. Petra Kvitova has the ability to win this title but she can be very inconsistent and will her love for Radek Stepanek, who won the US Open doubles with Leander Paes, linger on every match she plays.

First round matchup to watch: Julia Goerges vs Sorana Cirstea

Third quarter – Caroline Wozniacki leads this quarter and has won this title in 2010. She has a tough first round match playing the winner of Daniela Hantuchova/Flavia Pennetta. When the media thinks that Roberta Vinci will falter early in draws, she finds a way to make quarterfinals or semifinals.

First round matchup to watch: Daniela Hantuchova vs Flavia Pennetta

Fourth quarter – Agnieszka Radwanska leads this quarter. If A Radwanska, who won this title in 2011, is playing in Seoul on Sunday, she will have only one day to travel as her first match will be on Tuesday and the further she advances, she may feel the effects.

In our Day 5 match to watch, Ace picked the match between young Americans, Jamie Hampton and Sloane Stephens. As with most of our matches to watch this USO, this one failed to live up to expectations. Stephens without a doubt loves a stage. Hampton not so much. It showed in the tennis. The grit that got Hampton to the third round was absent today. The fight that got Stephens through the first round was in evidence today. The outcome was never in doubt. American TV now has one-half of the round of 16 match up that they want. A rematch of the Australian Open match between Serena Williams and Sloane Stephens. Maybe Shvedova will have something to say about that, but I doubt it.

As expected Jheng Jie had nothing left in the tank and bowed out 2 and 4 to Suarez-Navarro. I watched this match today and I have to say that I was very disappointed in Jie’s play. The tactics that she used so effectively against Venus were non-existent today. Her early returns and moving forward into the court to take the ball on the rise was not present and she was run ragged all over the court by Navarro. All in all as a Venus fan I was disheartened by Jie’s play. However, how good does Suarez-Navarro look? I watched her doubles match against the Williams Sister and while she did not maintain her excellent play in the first set, she carried over that play into her singles match against Jie. Look for her to make the quarter-finals and maybe even higher.

Na Li had her revenge against Robson today. Li has changed her game and is now much more varied. I wonder though how long before she stops looking up into the stands as her coach tells her what to do or how soon before the umpires start warning her for coaching from the stands.

Aga Radwanska had her hands full today with Pavlyuchenkova. It was a hard fought 4 and 6 win today, but I am sure that Aga will take it as it gets tougher from here on out.

Ace’s Matches to Watch

Svetlana Kuznetsova vs Flavia Pennetta – Kuznetsova won her first match in 2 tight sets against Burdette then won a three setter against Peng, who got injured late in the match along with having cramps. Believe it or not, she is one of only two champions left in the field. Pennetta has returned from the tour from injury and has lost only 6 games which includes a thumping of Errani in her last match. About 2 to 3 years ago, this would have been a quarterfinal or later match.

Maria Kirilenko vs Simona Halep – Kirilenko is quietly moving through the draw defeating Wickmayer and Larcher De Brito in straight sets. Halep struggled in her first match against Watson coming from a title run at New Haven. Then, she won easily over an up and comer in Vekic. Winner of this match may be the odds on favorite to win the third quarter.

Ana Ivanovic vs Christina McHale – Ivanovic has defeated Tatishvili and Dulgheru in uneventful straight sets. McHale has won two matches in a tournament for the first time since Doha. She needed the wins as she has been struggling to revert back to her 2011 form. Both ladies could use another win to boost their confidence where the winner will most likely face Azarenka on Labor Day Monday.

Way back in the day when I lived in Jamaica, there was a programme that aired on the local tv station called Wild World of Sports. One of the highlights of that show was the narrator talking about the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. They also spoke about the triumph of the human spirit in a sporting environment.

I am not the most athletic person, but when I was younger, I played netball, I swam, I played hockey and I did track and field. As I got older I took up tennis but as with most things when you get to an old age, your body starts to fail you and you can no longer continue.

I enjoy watching tennis, especially women’s tennis. The characters and personalities in tennis are all divisive in their own way and they make for absolutely great story lines. I strongly believe that one of the reasons why there are so many tennis blogs out there competing for the average tennis fans’ attention is because there are so many wonderful athletes who are out there competing day in and day out. They all have their little quirks that they do before each point and most people would be able to pick tennis players out of a line up if all you had to do was tell someone exactly what said person was doing, or indeed if all you had to go by was a short snapshot of what each player did between points. There is the Federer hair toss, the Serena Williams glare, the Azarenka/Wozniacki jumping up and down, the Sharapova/Hantuchova walk to the back of the court to commune. The list goes on and on.

However, there is one person whose foibles are cast in stone. From the jumping up and down prior to receiving serve, to the wave of her whole body to and fro prior to receiving serve, to the constant fist pumps to her box, the focus and intensity on every single point, I don’t think there is anyone in tennis who has as many quirks and foibles as does Bartoli.

I have never been a fan of the French woman. I think sometimes her quirks border on unsportsmanlike conduct. I think she goes over and beyond in her competitiveness and this sometimes irks me. However, one thing I have to do is give her credit. Credit for doing what is/was right to move her career forward and to realise her potential and credit to actually having the guts to do something that she should have done a long time ago.

Last year when Bartoli was unable to compete for France at the Olympics, I was one of the few that sided with the French Federation. All Federations have rules and everyone, no matter who you are, have to abide by those rules. For the FFT, the rule was that you could not be coached by your personal coach when you played Fed Cup. Bartoli and her father refused for many years to abide by these rules and as a result her dream of representing France at last year’s Olympic was not realised.

Fast forward to 2013 and Marion parted ways with her father/coach. I cannot imagine that it was an easy decision for her. Once she had parted ways with him she struggled to find form. She did not make it past the second round of any tournament at which she played. Her game suffered. The double faults, something which has always plagued her. intensified. When she got to Wimbledon, no one, and I mean no one picked her to even make the second round, much more the second seek.

As she stated, when she started the tournaemtn at Court 14, she had no idea that she would have been the last woman standing. Bartoli, as so many late bloomers have done since Schiavone at the French Open in 2010, seized her moment and never let go.

Bartoli had been down this road before. In 2007 she faced down then No. 1 Justine Henin and pipped her at the finish line in a wonderful display of grass court tennis. She failed to make a dent in the game of the Legend that is Venus Williams, but she showed true grit nonetheless.

It took her 6 years to make her way back to Centre Court. 6 years during which time she has not fared particularly well at the Slams, with her best showing being a semi-final finish at the French Open in 2011.

I hope that Marion’s win at Wimbledon will show the other women on Tour, who have the game, but not the mentality to do what is right in their careers. Caroline Woznaicki reigned for 2 years as the No.1 player in the world. She has indicated on more than one occassion that she is severing coaching ties with her father but as at the time of writing that coaching situation remains the same.

Marion Bartoli has shown that once you have the guts to do what is necessary to advance your career, you will achieve greatness.

Spin got slammed yesterday. There are no 2 ways to describe what happened on Day 1 on the women’s side. From young Puig slamming the NO. 5 seed, Errani in straight sets, to Sharapova struggling against Krista, to Vika almost retiring against her opponent, to the struggles of Bartoli and Flipkens, the women’s bottom half of the draw saw more drama than anything else. Of course the day will be remembered for the upset heard around the world with Rafael Nadal, the French Open champion on the men’s side going out in straight sets to Steve Darcis.

The top half of the women’s draw plays tomorrow and the reigning ladies’ champion, current occupier of the Penthouse and the No. 1 seed, Serena Williams, opens action on Day 2 on Centre Court.

The OOP for tomorrow is filled with lots of great matches and it took Spin almost 2 hours to really make her picks. I will therefore advise all readers of this blog to tread carefully when making your picks, because unlike Spin, you don’t want to get slammed in Suicide Pool.

It is already Day 4 and time for Spin’s Picks. I don’t know about anyone else, but the top half of the draw seems to have more matches that I would love to see, moreso than the bottom half. Early days yet though so anything can happen.

Day 4’s matches features some questions that are high on everyone’s list, namely:-

how is Serena Williams’ ankle;

is Petra Kvitova really on her way back;

is Laura Robson the real deal;

is Svetlana Kuznetsova really working her way back to the top of women’s tennis;

has Caroline Wozniacki sufficiently recovered from that early round scare in the first round; and

is Yanina Wickmayer finally beginning to show us what she is really made of?

Below are Spin’s picks for Day 4.

PLAYER A

PLAYER B

SPIN’S PICKS

RESULTS

Victoria Azarenka

Eleni Daniilidou

Azarenka – while the top seed had some trouble with Nicolescu in her opening match, she should sail through this one with no problems

Luksika Kumkhum

Jamie Hampton

Hampton – the feisty young American should have some trouble but should get through in 3

Varvara Lepchenko

Elena Vesnina

This is a pick em but I am going out on a limb and picking Vesnina for the win. That title in Hobart seems to be working wonders on her psyche

Akgul Amanmuradova

Roberta Vinci

I would pick the big serving Akgul but Vinci will expose her movement with her slice backhand – Vinci

Caroline Wozniacki

Donna Vekic

A battle of young guns. Vekic is young and hungry. Wozniacki is young and tired. This could be long with Wozniacki winning or short with Vekic winning. I am going with Wozniacki

Daria Gavrilova

Lesia Tsurenko

Tsurenko has played a lot of tennis this season. Taking out a seed in her last round, look for her to have a let down here – Gavrilova

Su-Wei Hsieh

Svetlana Kuznetsova

This depends on which Sveta shows up. If she decides to play behind the baseline, she will lose. Hsieh can run all day. Sveta should use her arsenal of shots to win this – Kuznetsova

Yulia Putintseva

Carla Suarez Navarro

Another battle of the tiny tots. The world got to see Putintseva in her last match against McHale. Look for the steady Navarro to outlast the Russian – Navarro

Serena Williams

Garbine Muguruza

How is the ankle doing? That is the question the tennis world is waiting on when Serena takes the court for her second round match. Serena in straights

Ayumi Morita

Annika Beck

I have not see either of these women play since the tournament started but I am going with Beck, if only because of her big win in the previous round.

Yanina Wickmayer

Jana Cepelova

Wickmayer to continue her 2013 run of form against the youngster

Shuai Peng

Maria Kirilenko

This one will be a long drawn out affair. If Peng serves well, she should take it, but I am going with Kirilenko

Kimiko Date-Krumm

Shahar Peer

Peer had to battle hard just to get here while Krumm sent Petrova packing with a bagel. Look for Krumm to discombolate Peer here.

Bojana Jovanovski

Lucie Safarova

Depends on which Lucie shows up. Bojana can be steady as well as erratic. I am going with Jovanovski

Sloane Stephens

Kristina Mladenovic

Battle of the young guns. Stephens dispatched her last opponent with 2 breadsticks. Look for her to continue her great run of form here.

Laura Robson

Petra Kvitova

This is the match of the day. Is 2011 Petra back or will Robson get another top 10 scalp at a Major. I am going with Petra because of her experience, plus she has to get it right at some point